Bioscience Advocate Group Gets New Leader

February 12, 2013|BY WILLIAM WEIR, bweir@courant.com, The Hartford Courant

Connecticut United for Research Excellence, a network organization for bioscience in the state, is changing leadership as Paul Pescatello prepares to steps down as its president and CEO.

Susan Froshauer, director of the Technology Exchange Portal at the University of Connecticut's Office of Economic Development, will take over as president and CEO April 1.

Froshauer said this is a particularly exciting time for bioscience in the state, with Jackson Laboratory moving to Connecticut as well as work being done at UConn and Yale and major pharmaceutical companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb and Bayer.

"I see my role in cultivating that and building new companies and taking advantage of that talent," she said. "We will sprout new endeavors between universities and Jackson Labs and spinoffs of other companies. There's going to be a wellspring of new enterprises and an opportunity to really cultivate new ideas."

Pescatello, who has served as CEO for CURE for 10 years, is stepping down to pursue private business ventures. He will remain on the organization's board of directors and coordinate its government relations efforts.

During his time with CURE, he said, the state's bioscience industry has grown significantly. Tax breaks for research and development and a $100 million investment in stem cell research over 10 years, he said, have played a large role in making the state major player in bioscience.

The investments and tax credits, Pescatello said, showed that state officials' commitment to bioscience and their understanding that bringing new drugs to market is a long-term effort. He said the key to make bioscience a thriving industry is putting equal emphasis on both business and research. To that end, he said, Froshauer, a co-founder and former president of Rib-X pharmaceuticals, is a good choice to lead CURE.

Froshauer was also a member of Pfizer's strategic alliance group that shaped the company's approach to research and development and drug discovery.

CURE, a non-profit organization founded in 1990, serves as an advocate and a network for the state's bioscience industry.